Lathe attachment.



A. E. HOPKINS. LATH E ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION man JULY 6. me.

- Patented Nov. 20; 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l I A I ZZIZZIZIIIF A. E. HOPKINS.

LATHE ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION HLEDJULY-fi.19l6- 1 ,246 Patnted Nov; 20, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- nvemlfoz 0196 1143 A. E. HOPKINS. LATHE/ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1916. 1,246,922. Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4- UNITED STATES rarnn'r ci ric- ARCH'IBALD 'E. HQPKINS, 0F MIDDLETOW'N, NEW YORK;

LA'rHE Arraernvrmvr.

Application filed. July 6, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AROHIBALD E. l-Iornrns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middletown, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lathe Attachments, of which the following is a specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to mechanism adapted particularly for attachment to wood turning lathes such as are used in sash and door mills, for turning tool handles, ornamental spindles, furniture legs, balusters, moldings, and like articles, and the objects of my invention, among other things, are to simplify and improve the construction and operation of such devices so that such articles may be readily and cheaply turned out by my device without the use of special machinery, power transmission and skilled labor, when my special improved attachment has been installed upon the lathe. The knives used in my attachment are interchangeable and adjustable relatively to one another, so that different kinds and sizes of articles may be turned upon the same attachment.

Other and further improvements and advantages will be hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved attachment showing the slide, cutter-knives carried; thereby, and the bed frame, with the several parts in assembled position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of bed frame, slide, and a portion of a lathe bed and steady rest.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the blank to be turned out, showing a portion of the cutter for forming a groove for the steady rest.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating the steady rest engaging the blank.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged central sectional. view showing steady rest, the blank engaged by the lathe centers, and one of the supporting rails, the other supporting rail and cutters being omitted.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views of the hub of steady rest handle, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2t), 1917.

Serial No. 107,746.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional detail view showing one of the cutter blocks and manner of securing same to slide.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of slide and bed frame, showing man ner of slidably connecting same.

Fig. 12 is a plan View of slide itself on a reduced scale; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of bed frame on a reduced scale, the plate being shown in do ted lines.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings, 14 indicates the bed frame of my attachment which is arranged to be secured to the rectangular rails 15 and 16, comprised in the bed of an ordinary wood turning lathe. 17 designates the carriage slide slidably mounted on the bed frame 14 and held in position thereon by side rails 18 and 19, which are arranged to gib the slide 17 down on the frame 14, as shown in Fig. 11. r A suitable handle 20 is secured to the slide 17 to enable same to be moved transversely in the frame 14. The bed frame 14 has secured thereto on its un derside the annular base plate 21 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 13), by which the frame is fastened to the rails 15 and 16 by the binding bolt 22 (shown in Fig. 6). The rails 15 and 16- carry vertically extending screws 23 and 24 upon which the bed frame 14 may be adjusted to any proper level when necessary.

Adjacent and above the handle 20 are the centering forks 25 and 26 each mounted on suitable brackets "which are adjustably'secured to the slide 17 by set screws 25 shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The slide 17 preferably carries the cross bar 27 upon which is adjustably mounted cutter knife 36 and the finishing knife 37 respectively are fastened as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These knives 36 and 37 are interchangeable and in the embodiment shown are illustrated with curved cutting edges 38 and 39 to form a spindle of the conventional contour. The knives 36 and 37 in each instance are mounted in blocks 40, and are held therein by screws 41, the blocks 40 being secured to the respective cross bars 34 and 35 in the slide 17 by set screws 42, as shown in detail in Fig. 10.

The slide 17 carries on the end opposite the handle 20, the transverse bar 43 upon which are adjustably mounted on each side thereof the cutoff knives 44 and 45, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. These cutoff knives 44 and 45 are vertically disposed and are adjustably fastened to the brackets 46 and 47 respectively, which in turn are adjustably mounted on the bar 43 by the set screws 48 and 49, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

50 indicates a blank of wood which is to be operated upon in my attachment, shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and is sultably held, for example, by hand, in thecentering forks 25 and 26. Referring to Flg. 3, 51 designates the live center at one end of the lathe, and 52 the dead center at the opposite end, between which the wood blank 50 is held and rotated by any suitable means (not shown) connected to the driving shaft 53.

When the wooden blank 50 is long, or it is desired to form a shape in the body of a baluster, I provide means to support the blank 50 against the cutting strain along its middle portion. This I accomplish by a steady rest, which comprises the following members: Mounted on the cross plates 54 and 55, fastened to the rails 15 and 16, are the standards 56 and 57 respectively, which carry in suitable bearings in their upper ends the horizontal shaft 58, adjustably secured to the standards 56 and 57 by the setscrews 59 and 60, as shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 9. Sleeved on the shaft 58 is the brace hub 61, shown in detail in Fig. 7, having projecting lug 62 on the side adapted to be engaged by the stop lug 63 on the collar 64, which is shown in Fig. 8; the collar engages the hub 61 at the opposite side and both collars 64 and 65 are adjustably secured to the shaft 58, by the set screws 66 and 67 respectively. Secured to the hub 61 is the brace lever 68 which carries the jaws 69 and 70 adjustably secured by set screws as shown in Fig. 6; the end of the lever 68 is formed into an operating handle 71. The lugs 62 and 63 are so shaped and disposed toward each other that they may be adjusted to per mit the jaws 69 and 70 to contact, in the groove 29, with the work blank 50 to form a steady rest therefor, but not to spring same, and also to allow the lever 68 to be raised up and thrown back of the shaft 58 so that it may be held by gravity in its idle position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. Mounted on the bracket 32 is the under supporting plate 72, adapted to engage the blank 50 on the underside of the groove formed by the knife 28, as shown in Fig. 6. The plate 73 secured to the knife 36, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, also supports the blank 50 in like manner until the latter is reached by the finishing knife 37, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

74 indicates a stop secured to the bed frame 14, arranged to be engaged by the adjusting screw 75 carried by the handle 20, of the slide 17, in order to limit the transverse movement of the slide for the particular work at hand when the blank 50 is brought to be engaged by the centers 51 and 52.

The operation of my improvedattachment is substantially as follows The squared blank 50 is placed and held in any convenient manner in the centering forks 25 and 26, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and the slide 17 is then pushed back from the operator to the stop 74, and the screw 75 is thereafter properly adjusted to limit the transverse movement of the slide 17 as has been heretofore explained. The slide is then moved toward the operator, leaving the blank 50 held by the points of the centers 51 and 52, after which the dead center 52 may be forced against the blank 50 held by the live center 51 to securely hold the blank 50 in position. A further movement of the slide 17 toward the operator allows the blank 50 to rotate freely in the space between the centering forks 25 and 26 and the knife 28. The operator then seizes the handle 20 of the slide 17 and draws the latter toward him which first causes the knife 28 to cut the annular groove 29 in the work as shown in Fig. 4; when this is accomplished, the operator grasps the handle 71 of the lever 68 and brings the jaws 69 and 70 into the position shown in Fig. 6, the plate 72 supporting the blank on the under side of the groove, as shown. The rough cutter knife 36 now engages the blank to give same its proper shape according to the contour of its cut-ting edge, as shown in Fig. 3, the plate 7 3 affording a support below the work until same reaches the knife 37 when the finishing cut is made. At this point the work may be sanded to impart an extra smooth finish after the knife 37 has performed its work. The continued movement of the slide 17 toward the operator then carries the work, in this instance, a spindle, so that the two cut-off knives 44 and 45 are brought to bear on the now completed spindle to cut same from the butt ends held in the centers 51 and 52. When balusters are being formed and the central part only is to be operated upon, the cut-off knives 44 and 45 are dispensed with.

VVhenthe spindles are cut off, the lathe is not necessarily stopped, but when the blanks are long, it is better practice and safer to 'stop the lathe while taking the work from,

or putting the same into, the lathe. V

When the work is short, the steady rest device may be dispensed with and thrown back as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, in which case the groove cutting knife :28 is removed from the slide.

It will be obvious that my attachment enables spindles and like articles to be rapidly and easily formed through a transverse movement of the slide 17, carrying cutter knives so arranged thereon as to quickly cut and finish the articles in any desired shape or size that may be determined.

By reason of the diagonal disposition of the edges of the reducing knives 36 and 37 relatively to the axis of rotation of the blank, a comparatively small length of the edge is at any time actually cutting the blank, and consequently the edge may be curved or conformed as required without danger of'clogging or jamming.

laying now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following, .v'iz:

1. In a lathe attachment, the combination with rotary means for supporting the work, of a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutting tools mounted thereon and operating on the under side of the work, a steady-rest mounted on the lathe bed or frame and movable toward and from the work on the opposite side of the work from said tools to support the work against said tools, and means secured to said slide to support the work against said steady-rest.

2'. In a lathe attachment, the combination with rotary means for supporting the work, of a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutting tools mounted thereon and operating on the under side of the work, a steady rest mounted on the lathe bed or frame and movable toward and from the work on the opposite side of the work from said tools to support the work against said tools, and a supporting plate secured to said slide adjacent said tools to hold the work against said steady rest.

3. In a lathe attachment, the combination with rotary means for supporting the work, of a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutting tools mounted thereon and operating on the under side of the work, a rest-support mounted on the lathe bed or frame, a steady rest mounted on said support and movable toward and from the work on the opposite side of the work from said tools to support the work against said tools, a supporting plate secured to: said slide adjacent said tools to hold the work against said steady rest, and means for adjusting said steady rest longitudinally on said'support to conform to the contour of the work.

r a. In a lathe attachment, the combination with rotary means for supporting the work, of a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutting tools mount.- ed thereon and operating on the under side of the work, a rest-support mounted on the lathe bed or frame, a steady rest mounted on saidsupport and movable toward and from the work on the opposite side of the work from said tools to support the work against said tools, means secured to said slide adjacent said tools to hold the work against said steady rest, and means foradjusting said means on said slide to conform to the contour of the work.

5. In a lathe attachment, the combination with rotary means for supporting the work, of a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutting tools mounted there-on and operating on the under side of the work, a rest-support mounted on the lathe bed or frame, a steady rest mounted on said support and movable toward and from the work on the Opposite side of the work from said tools to support the work against said tools, a supporting plate secured to said slide adjacent said tools to hold the work against said steady rest, means for adjusting said steady rest longitudinally on said support to conform to the contour of the work, and means for adjusting said plate on said slide to conform to the contour of the work.

6. In a lathe, rotary means to support the work, a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutter tools mounted thereon, a knife carried on said slide in advance of said cutter tools, said work, a slide movable transversely to the axis of the work and having cutter tools mounted thereon, a knife carried on said slide in advance of said cutter tools, said knife being arranged to cut in a plane parallel with the axis of said work, a steady rest mounted on the lathe bed or frame and movable toward and from the work on the opposite side of the work from said tools to engage the work in the out made by said knife to support the work against said tools, and a supporting plate secured to said slide adjacent said tools to hold the work against said steady rest.

8. In a lathe, rotary means to support the Work, a slide movable transversely t0 the axis of the Work and having cutter tools mounted thereon, a knife carried on said slide in advance of said cutter tools, said knife being arranged to out in a plane parallel with the aXis of said Work, a steady rest mounted on the lathe bed or frame and movable toward and from the Work on the 10 opposite side of the Work from said tools to ARCHIBALD E. HOPKINS.

Witnesses EARL E. HOPKINS, JOHN D. SCHULTZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

